At Scalabrini, we aim to have a respectful environment for all. We are all responsible to maintain a safe environment here
How do services work at Scalabrini?
There are many different services at Scalabrini: visit scalabrini.org.za/services to find out more.
Most services at Scalabrini are free of charge. You should not pay money to anyone – inside or outside Scalabrini – to access these services. There are three exceptions here: our English School, and some services and workshops at Women’s Platform and Employment Access Programme do carry a fee.
Your rights as a Scalabrini Client
As a client at Scalabrini, you have the right to be treated with respect
by Scalabrini staff and feel safe at Scalabrini.
- All Scalabrini team members are strictly prohibited from:
Charging money for services (except the services that carry a fee) - Exchanging your access to a service at Scalabrini for ‘favours’. This includes access to services in return for exchange of goods, sexual services or employment.
- Engaging in sexual relationships with clients.
Sexual relations or activities between adult and children are strictly prohibited.
Who is this policy for?
This policy lays out the complaints resolution procedure should any client / beneficiary / student, or family member of any client / beneficiary / student, or any staff member / volunteer of any partner of the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town wish to lay a complaint about any service received at the Scalabrini Centre or against any staff member or volunteer of the Scalabrini Centre.
This policy is in line with recommendations laid out by government in the “Batho Pele” principles, and also speaks to their White Paper on Transformation in the Public Service.
How to report a complaint
If you are aware of these rules being broken, please report it urgently. You can report a complaint in different ways:
Approach a Scalabrini staff member that you trust or approach the Scalabrini reception and explain that you’d like to lodge a complaint
E-mail your complaint to info@scalabrini.org.za
Steps in the complaints resolution process
STEP 1
Any external party wanting to lodge a complaint against the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town, or an employee/volunteer of the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town, should be referred to the Executive Director who will send a copy of the Complaints Form to them. Should the Executive Director not be available, Any staff member may also send this form to the complainant, making a note of the nature of the complaint and informing the Executive Director of this complaint as soon as s/he is available.
Should the complaint be leveled against the Executive Director, a staff member will inform a Board member to handle the matter to completion.
STEP 2
The complainant must complete the form sent to them and forward it back to the Executive Director for investigation. If the form was given to them by hand, the complainant may hand it in to the Facilities Manager or Receptionist of the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town, who must give it to the Executive Director immediately after receipt.
The person receiving the form back from the complainant must check that all fields in the form have been completed and that nothing has been omitted. If there are omissions, the complainant must be asked to complete the form in full so that a thorough investigation may be conducted. The person receiving the form may assist the complainant in completing the form if appropriate. Anonymity can be requested by the complainant and must be adhered to by the relevant Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town employee dealing with the matter.
Completely anonymous complaints will be dealt with, and in this case the clearly marked Feedback Box found at Reception can be used to submit the written complaint. It is important that completely anonymous complaints hold sufficient information to support an investigation. Without enough information, it will not be possible to respond to the complainant, nor to investigate the allegations.
STEP 3
If the complaint is anonymous, the Executive Director must still complete the investigation within 14 days, and if at any time the complainant reveals themselves as such, they have a right to be given feedback as to the outcome of the complaint.
If the complaint is not anonymous, the Executive Director must acknowledge receipt of the Complaint’s Form as soon as it has been received. The complainant should be informed that they will receive feedback within 14 days.
Should the complaint be Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) in nature, the Executive Director should hand the matter over to the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Policy Co-ordinator to institute the Investigation Procedure as documented in the PSEA Policy.
If not SEA in nature, STEP 4
The Executive Director must conduct a full investigation into the nature of the complaint, interviewing all relevant parties who could assist in understanding and resolving the matter.
STEP 5
The Executive Director must compile a report of their findings, using Section 2 of the Complaints Form. This form must be filed in the Complaints File kept with the Executive Director.
STEP 6
The Executive Director must contact the complainant within 14 days of receipt of the complaint and inform them of the outcome of the investigation. The complainant may be contacted telephonically in order to be informed of the findings, however, they must also receive feedback in writing (this may include communication via email). A copy of this correspondence must be attached the Complaints Form which will be filed in the Complaints File at the end of this process.
STEP 7
The Executive Director should take any necessary corrective action in order to prevent the incident or complaint from arising again. This may include disciplinary action against employees, or formulating and implementing new organisational policies, or adjusting programme Standard Operating Procedures when necessary.